Members of 'top tier' Bath drugs gang sentenced to more than 30 years in prison

• Watch Robert Murphy's report

Three members of a ‘top tier’ drugs organisation have been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison after moving huge quantities of cocaine and cash to the South West from London and the Midlands.

The Bath-based gang was headed by Romaine Hyman, who was sentenced to 26 years in prison earlier this year.

Today, (1 November), Tekla Selassie, from Bath, Adil Riaz, from Sheffield, and Tobias Slender from Cheltenham, were also sentenced.

The gang used encrypted phone software called ‘EncroChat’ to speak with each other, believing the security to be too resilient to be cracked by law enforcement agencies.

But in Spring 2020, the National Crime Agency was able to infiltrate the communications.

"It was thanks to the encrypted phones and being broken into that we were able to see a level of offending that we hadn't been aware was going on", Detetective Chief Inspector Charlotte Tucker of the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit said.

"All of the communications through the encrypted phones showed really candid and open messaging between these criminals who thought that those messages would never see the light of day.

"Massive amounts of drugs and money were changing hands."

Undercover officers watched as Hyman distributed an estimated 79 kilos of cocaine in a matter of months.

They also watched as he sent hundreds of thousands of pounds of cash to London and other cities to pay for the drugs.

A Glock pistol with a 'Carbine' adapter was also recovered.

Tekla Selassie, from Bath, pleaded guilty to five offences and was sentenced to 3 years in a young offenders' institute.

Adil Riaz, of Sheffield, was sentenced to 24 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply more than 160kg cocaine and to launder over £2.3 million in cash.

Tobias Slender, of Cheltenham, was sentenced to 5 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply 2kg cocaine.